The next hurdle for oenophiles is to learn about various wine
regions. France has long stood as the standard for fine wine, but
it's going to get
a lot more expensive this year thanks to a rash of foul
weather in the country.

Spain has sprung up in as a place to get good wine for a good
price. Northeastern Spain has some of the most porous soil in
Western Europe, which means the vine roots can dig deeper and
grow heartier grapes that are less affected by the weather.

Business Insider spoke to Natalie Sanz, the sommelier at New York
City's Tio Pepe and five other nearby restaurants, to give us a
crash course on Spanish wine. She covered everything from why
it's good to how to order an exceptional glass.

What sets Spanish wine apart: "Other Old World
wine makers sell wine that you have to cellar for a while
longer," she said, "but Spanish wines won't show up at the
restaurant until they're ready to drink."

"In a country pretty much the size of Texas, Spain has amazing
wine variety. In the north, the soil is tropical. It's almost
like a rain forest climate, very lush and green. A lot of whites
are produced there. Right now, central Spain, where it's very
hot, is known for reds."

The hotter the climate where the grapes grow, the higher the
alcoholic content in the wine they make. But with the global
climate changing, it's almost getting too hot to produce red wine
in the center of the country, Sanz said.

Wine makers now think there's a lot of promise in Northwestern
Spain for red wine. Since that trend is only just beginning,
there's a good chance you could get a top notch red wine from the
area for an especially affordable price.

What To Order

Popular grapes in Spain include garnacha, the most planted grape
in Spain for red wine; mencía, for a light red, drinking wine
that used to be popular among workers; petit verdot, a red wine
grape with French heritage that's grown in central Spain to
produce a heavy rosé; and tempranillo, a high quality dark red
wine grape used especially in Rioja.

There's also albariño, which makes a fruity, light and acidic
white wine; and verdejo, an affordable
alternative.

If you're just starting out in Spanish wine, Sanz recommends
ordering a verdejo from Rueda or a mencía from Galicia. For
a more adventurous wine drinker, try an alta expresión from Rioja or a Priorat wine, which is a powerful
red.

Read The Label

Spain has very strict laws governing its wine production, called
"denominaciones de origen," Sanz said.

Each region's governing body stipulates what grapes and
winemaking techniques are allowed to be used, as well as how long
they have to be aged in order to earn a black and gold sticker on
the back of the bottle that says the wine maker followed all the
rules for wine from that region.

"It helps with consistency," Sanz said.

"Reserva" on the front label means the wine has been aged for the
region's minimum required time, while "Gran Reserva" means it has
been aged for a specified longer amount of time. For instance,
"Reserva" on a bottle from Rioja, the most famous wine-making
region in Spain, means it has been aged for three years, while
"Gran Reserva" means it has been aged for five.

Don't Forget Sherry

People think of sherry either as a sweet
after-dinner drink, like port and brandy, or a cooking
ingredient. But Sanz says it's actually best as an opener to a
meal.

"A dry sherry opens up the appetite," Sanz said. "If I were to
sit down at a restaurant waiting for my friends to arrive, I'd
order a bone dry sherry. It creates a neutral palate and pairs
well with hams, cheeses and olives; common tapas in Spain."

Technically, a wine can't be called "sherry" unless it was
produced in the town of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain.
"Sherry" is an anglicanized pronunciation of "Jerez." A good
Spanish sherry is made with yeast that exists in the air and
settles over open barrels of grapes. Because it's produced in a
coastal town, it tends to have a briney flavor.